Geoff

We typically use rubrics for summative assessment of inquiry-based projects.  We also use many forms of formative assessment including peer-assessment, self-assessment, graded check-ins, etc.  It is also important for students to see the rubric prior to completing their final project so they understand expectations.

I accessed the Globe Program (https://datasearch.globe.gov/) database of climate data.  The database is open to anyone (including students) and has data access and visualization tools.  I queried the database for information about soil moisture in Massachusetts.  We have taken soil samples near our school to better understand what makes soil "healthy" or "unhealthy" and one of our observations was that "healthy" soil has more moisture.  I could see my students using this database to help understand many of the impacts of climate change in our state.

We used Merlin to ID birds while engaging in a biodiversity walk around Walden Pond in Concord, MA.  Students were recording different plants and animals they observed, but utilized the Merlin Bird ID to identify species by their song.  We ran into some challenge with the app as it would not always detect, or accurately detect, songs that we could hear. That was frustrating for students, but I encouraged them to try to describe the sound in their notebooks.

Was very disappointing to hear so much man-made noise (mostly generalized traffic sounds).  We are in a small town in Massachusetts, but near several larger roads/highways.  Regardless, it was enjoyable to simply close my eyes and focus on the sounds for 10 minutes.  I think this will be a very "ear-opening" experience for my students.  We already reinforce the fact that observation is not only "seeing", but this activity will really solidify the power of hearing.  I like the idea of comparing what students can observe by seeing vs. hearing.  

Our social studies curriculum explores the world, introducing different regions of the world to our students.  We often weave our study of climate change into our exploration of these regions of the world, focusing on causes and effects of climate change.  While this provides our students with a global-perspective, it lacks the impact that a local exploration or investigation can generate. The practice of framing the work globally and locally is critical to both student engagement (local connection) and perspective (creating global citizens) and catalyzes student agency in their own community.  We are focused on finding opportunities for students to engage in local climate action projects which will be driven by citizen science activities that serve to build background knowledge and foster curiosity and passion.

We drive our Earth's History unit by introducing a phenomenon - bones of a sea creature found in a desert.  Students a read a brief introduction to this discovery and then shown images of the bones.  Students engage in a "What do I notice?  What do I wonder?" activity that generates a lot of questions.  Invariably the class lands on the question "Why are bones of a sea creature in the desert?" to guide their investigation of how Earth has changed over time. This activity falls somewhere between Guided and Open Inquiry as we acknowledge all student questions, but funnel them to the specific guiding question that will allow for investigation and learning aligned with our curriculum. Student generate initial claims ("What do we think now?") and then brainstorm activities they would like to pursue or topics they would like to study, to help answer the question. Because our curriculum requires that we cover specific content standards, and because much of what explains the phenomenon (continental drift, climate change) is not directly or immediately observable, we are not able to facilitate completely Open inquiry during this unit.  Regardless, this inquiry unit does cover most of the science practices through a variety of explorations and analysis.